Sailing on the Grand in May 2005 from Venice - Barcelona. Have never done the pre-cruise hotel package Princess offers. Can anyone provide information on their hotel selection, transfers, etc? Some travel companies are providing known hotels for 1/2 the price Princess is offering plus transfers from the airport to hotel and from the hotel to the pier.

If you fly into Venice Marco Polo it is sooooooo easy to get to Venice, you just take a bus (you buy the ticket in the airport, after you get your luggage) for like 3 or 4 Euro.

When selecting hotels or when seeing one Princess offers, make sure it is in Venice, NOT Venice Mestre. Venice Mestre is on the main land, and then to get to the real Venice you have to either take a bus or train across the water.

I was in Italy for a month this summer, with Venice as my base (I spent one night at the beginning and one night at the end of my trip there) and stayed in Mestre, but I knew beforehand the logistics of it. Some people don't know the difference beforehand though. Mestre is definately not the best neighborhood though. I stayed right across from the bus station/train station for convenience and it worked out for me, but for a real vacation, you want the real Venice!!!

My wife and I are staying for a pre-cruise night in Venice next week! We booked a bed & breakfast to help cut down on costs. We found a place on the Grande Canal called Ca' Croce at Santa Croce 555. You can contact them at their E-mail address: venusve@libero.it. We can hardly wait!!